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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Blunden’s Blunder at EPIA’s 4th European PV Industry Forum

Has SunPower lost touch with California Residential Solar Installers?

Last year, it took almost a week for me to gather my thoughts and write an article worthy of publishing on RenewableEnergyAccess.com about the 3rd PV Industry Forum. It doesn’t take more than a few moments to realize when incorrect marketing spin is promoted in a public forum.

That was the case early today, September 5, 2007, at the 4th European PV Industry Forum held during the 22nd EU PVSEC in Milan, Italy. Julie Blunden, Vice President, Public Policy and Corporate Communications, SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR), professed that the California solar market has developed well over the past two years. I only wish this were so for local solar installers in the residential market. Please view this partial video clip and make up your own mind. I overheard panel members make incredulous comments about her views.

My take away is SunPower is either motivated by politics to take this position or the large scale solar power plant business of their PowerLight subsidiary is robust in this environment. Regardless, this is bad news for SunPower’s installer channel partners.

And to think SunPower started the week with an informative and, for once, under hyped technical presentation, 2BP.1.2, titled “Low Cost, High Volume Production of >22% Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells” presented by (I think) Mr. De Ceuster.

Too bad. I would like to post something favorable about a company with the highest efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells in the world.